As a person who adores children, my heart skipped several beats the day my wife’s water broke prematurely at 27 weeks. We felt doomed and our world collapsing around us, as we have been trying for a long time and this was our third pregnancy after two miscarriages.
My wife’s job can sometimes be stressful; it probably took its toll not only on her, but also the precious being growing inside. But thankfully, my wife’s superiors and colleagues went out of their ways to ensure that she completely focuses on the pregnancy when this happened.
I pray that it isn’t too late and that for every hour our son is inside the womb, we thank a million times to the good Lord for keeping him inside. He was born on 8th May at 28 weeks.
When I’m around children, I lose sense of time and the world around me. I enjoy their chatter and giggles, their twinkling eyes and an ever curious flow of questions. How much more would I wish to hear the same from my own?
We’re advised by the efficient, empathetic and wonderful nurses and medical officers at KKH to not think about the financial burden to follow this tough pregnancy. But being expats, we are afraid and aghast every time we see the amount billed to incubate our newborn child at the NICU (Estimated at over $200,000). We will never be able to produce that much money in such a short period, but then we cannot put a price on our precious baby.
A humbled request to help us bring our baby home. We will be ever grateful and vow to bring up our child with manifold eagerness to give, just as the gifts he receives.
Besides GIVE, we have received SGD8,845.00 from other sources.
My name is Nickson, and this is my story. Just like any teenager, I am an active 15 years old boy, with my bright future in front of me and filled with zest of life ahead of me. I have always been leading an active lifestyle, and an avid basketball player and I even qualified for a slot for Singapore Youth Basketball Team. Life was truly amazing for me!
However, on a fateful day on September 2015, I collapsed at home due to high fever and after several tests, doctors revealed that I’m is suffering from an aggressive form of leukaemia. My world came tumbling down, and not sure what to think for a 15 years old.
Thereafter, we seek medical attention from both KK Hospital and NUH, specialising in childhood leukaemia. I underwent chemotherapy and I harvested my father’s bone marrow in the hope for a full recovery in Sep 2016 in which I suffered a relapse just 3 months later which is in Nov 2016. After the relapse, my father’s cell was subsequently harvested to support the treatment of my leukaemia while searching for a compatible unrelated donor.
During the interim while looking for a compatible donor, we will have to repeat the harvesting of my father’s cells and the usage of a German drug by the name of Blinatumomab in order to stabilise my condition. The drug, Blinatumomab, cost about roughly SGD $220,000 in which is infused into the body over a period of one month. I am lucky to be insured under insurance for all treatments I’m doing in Singapore but for any procedures, various blood tests and treatments that my father is doing in order to harvest his cells to me (or if there’s any matching donors) insurance or Medisave doesn’t cover them and we’ve to pay solely in cash.
However, the doctors in Singapore recommend us to seek treatment for in Seattle Hospital in USA, as it is the only place in the world for cell therapy and there are already two successful proven cases who have returned back to Singapore with full recovery results.
All the health insurance in Singapore can only cover local treatments, and not overseas treatment. The deposit for the hospital in Seattle requires a minimum of SGD $700,000, and my parents were at the complete shock and lost in their thoughts upon hearing the treatment cost, and it’s way beyond our means.
As parents, I know they want their children to be healthy, and if there’s anything wrong with us, they will always seek the best possible treatment for us. We’re not sure if we can find any unrelated donors at this stage, but the possibility of me recovering through cell therapy is high, and we’re sincerely urging your kind helping hand and generosity to help my parents to lessen the burden and fundraise for my treatment.
My father is the sole breadwinner of the family, and my mom has become a full-time housewife in order to take care of me and my brother.
My life is not even half way through and the option for the cell therapy there is by far the most feasible and effective option for my full recovery. Results were already proven with two patients having gone there for the similar treatments and came back with very good results leading to a complete recovery from the dreadful disease. The cure that best fits my stubborn persistent leukaemia is only available in Seattle.
I and my family can never thank you enough in helping us for this fund raising for my treatment in the States and our family will forever be indebted to all the help and support we have received. Thank you so much for all the kind assistance rendered and we wish all good health.
Please help me to fight this leukemia so that I can continue walk the path in front of me. No amount is too small and we thank you again for your kind generosity.
The Singaporean who suffered a cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma in Tokyo just over a week ago is due to arrive in Singapore on Tuesday.
The team from EMA Global, the medical assistance company appointed for the evacuation, left Singapore for Tokyo, a spokesman told The Straits Times on Monday (May 1).
His 25-year-old daughter, Ms Eileen Cheong, had successfully raised $250,000 on fundraising platform Give.Asia to get her father home to Singapore.
She wrote in her campaign that her family had flown to Tokyo on April 19 to celebrate her mother’s cancer remission when her father had a heart attack.
He was resuscitated and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Toho University Omori Medical Center on the same day and placed on mechanical support.
Japanese doctors told her family that they could not determine how long her father would stay in a coma.
The family owed the hospital about $120,000, and it would cost at least another $120,000 to bring Mr Cheong home by medical evacuation, according to Miss Cheong.
Ms Cheong wrote that her dad’s travel insurers MSIG informed her family that they were “unlikely to have a successful claim as his collapse was attributable to a pre-existing heart condition”.
The 25-year-old, who is a fresh graduate earning less than $3,000 a month, turned to crowdfunding on Give.Asia to get her father home.
In an update on Saturday evening, Ms Cheong said that all $250,000 had been raised.
Ms Cheong had said in a campaign update on April 30 that her father was in a stable condition. She thanked all contributors and donors and promised to post an update on the situation soon.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had told previously said that it was aware of the incident and that the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo was rendering the necessary consular assistance to the family.
Mother’s Day is only less than a month away, but all I wanted for Mother’s Day is for my son Syaqir to be well!
My son Syaqir is an active 14 year-old boy with a bright future ahead of him.
On the fateful 08 April morning, Syaqir was complaining about his thump being painful but with no visible swollen, and the next day, it happen to his wrist. However, that evening, he contracted fever and it rises to 39 degrees and we have to choice but to bring him to KK Hospital.
Doctors suspect dengue and run tests on him, but it came back negative, which they proceed to run various tests including MRI, blood culture and CT Scan. There’s no sign of swollen on him, but his fever still persist.
While waiting, doctors gave him antibiotic for his inflammation, and when the result came back, he was diagnose with Sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection injures its own tissues and organs. Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. If left untreated, it can caused organ failure.
As Syaqir is in great pain, doctors at KK Hospital gave him antibiotics, morphine and sedate him, placed him on oxygen gas and kept in incubator, so he can rest in order to grow his anti-bodies to fight the disease.
As time passed, doctors told us the bacteria is still growing but couldn’t find the source, and that’s where we starts to get really worried. During this time, his lower body starts to swell, as well as found tiny white dots on his head, so they gave him higher dosage of antibiotics.
The thundering comment was when they came back after trying for so many days, they are giving up to diagnose his illness. Surgery was suggested but with no confirmation on source, they are just blindly cutting him up to locate the source. Which Mother in the world would take that risk!
That’s where we seek second opinion and found a private hospital which they immediately locate the source and advice they have the treatment for him with 99% of recovery.
However, the treatment would cost around $200,000, and due to all the trial in KK Hospital, there’s damaged done to his body which require immediate attention. Private hospital doesn’t subsidize medical fees, so we are asking for help!
We are desperate to seek funding and even looking at selling our HDB flat in order for Syaqir to receive his treatment.
Again, I’m pleading for any help from the general public as a Mother who only want her precious son to be well. No amount is too small and we appreciate your thoughts!
Madam Shireen is a 34 years old mother of 4 kids, 2 boys are her own, while the other 2 girls are left to her care due to their own broken family left behind by their own parents. She also has a mother whom she’s the only caregiver full time, and thus she’s unable to find work that’s too far away.
Her trouble arises when she’s unable to service her mortgage loan from the bank, which runs to arrears of $11k plus and she was issued with a Writ of Possession against her to vacant her one and only place call home.
Besides the housing loan, Madam Shireen still owes the Town Council about $500 plus, and PUB about $1000 plus.
Her husband walked out on the family last year, after being physically abusive towards her. She is currently on a Personal Protection Order against her husband, thus she can only fend for herself. She was left alone to work and support the family as a convenience store shift leader previously.
Madam Shireen had to stop working in 2012 when her mother had contracted high fever and was left in a coma. Her other siblings were not able to help and the role of the caregiver fell onto Madam Shireen’s shoulders. She still cares for her mother up till today, and constantly shuttles between her home and her mother’s place.
When they bought the flat previously, they have no clue that the loan was under bank loan and not HDB. Madam Shireen tried to seek assistance to refinance her home with HDB but was rejected due to eligibility.
It has come to a stage that her children are going to school without any pocket money, and she’s seeking help from Social Service Office, which they are still processing.
All Madam Shireen want is for her to tie through these tough times and she’s concurrently looking for home based job where she can earn some money for her to continue her life. She loves her children very much, and all she wants is to provide for them to have a shelter over their head. The children are innocent and they should not be suffering together with her. She’s feeling helpless and hopeless, and we hope to bring some light into her life by donating to her generously to help her tie through and no amount is too small. Please also help to share Madam Shireen’s story, as these are cases that’s fallen through the cracks in our society.
